The field of invention relates to methods and systems for pilot collision alertness and awareness of an aircraft and object in a flight collision path. In a particular, the present invention relates to systems and methods for using sound signals to direct the pilot's head position for the pilot to locate the aircraft and object in the flight collision path. In particular, the present invention relates to a system of flight unit that determines and generates the sound signals into the pilot's headset to direct the pilot's head position for the pilot to locate the aircraft and object in the flight collision path, and thereby processes received aircraft, head tracker sensory, and stored target obstacle map information. In a further particular, the present invention relates to methods and systems to graphically display three dimensional guidance information, such as a three dimensional arrow, shown on a mobile electronic device to direct the pilot's head position for the pilot to locate the aircraft and object in the flight collision path, and thereby the mobile electronic device processes received information from the flight unit, and further thereby the flight unit processes received aircraft, head tracker sensory, and stored target obstacle mapping information. The mobile electronic device herein is a portable computing device and may be wearable as known to those skilled in the art.
In general, pilot collision alertness and awareness systems and software applications thereof are for the purpose to avoid aircraft and obstacle collisions, and whereby to provide safety measures for the pilot to better navigate the airspace. This is necessary as the airspace environment ever more so becomes increasingly crowded, particularly with drone aircraft. Beneficially, pilot collision alertness and awareness systems and software applications thereof process all this information for the pilot. They detect and monitor aircraft and obstacles that may or do enter a flight collision path. And, notify the pilot in such a way for the pilot to react accordingly as to the degree of collision danger. This includes the pilot to maneuver their aircraft to avoid collision or possibly communicate with other aircraft in the collision path.
As used herein, unless specified otherwise “target aircraft” means an aircraft that is piloted or is unmanned that enters a predetermined collision path, such that, if unchanged, will lead to a collision.
As used herein, unless specified otherwise “target obstacle” includes terrain, such as, ground, mountain, ocean, and the like; and ground obstacles, such as, towers, wires, structures, and the like; and restricted airspace, such as, airport and military zones, and the like.
As used herein, unless specified otherwise, the “navigation map” contains information of target obstacle information, and additionally, nearby airports, airspace, airport information, nearby cities, landmarks, minimum recommended altitudes, restricted zones, and the like.
As used herein, unless specified otherwise “time of collision” means a resulting predetermined time that the target aircraft or target obstacle collision will occur if both remain on the same course. This, for example, a jet aircraft having the same time of collision as a small propelled aircraft of lesser collision path magnitude, because when accounting for the jet aircraft having a greater velocity.
As used herein, unless specified otherwise, a “flight unit” should be given its broadest possible meaning, or of any other terms commonly used or known in the art, and include the following: receiving signal from surrounding aircraft, storing navigational map and target obstacle information, receiving/transmitting pilot guiding generated sound signals, sending and receiving verbal and wireless information; and, whereby processing the receiving and of the stored information for the purposes without limitation of, calculating time of collision, verbal system configuration and feedback, and information to transmit to the mobile electronic device to visually display the information graphically.
As used herein, unless specified otherwise, a “controller” should be given it's broadest possible meaning, or any other terms commonly used or known in the art, and include any computer that reads/writes to memory, at least one processor, and operating software that is programmable to operate. The controller is capable of supporting broadcast signal protocol from varying receivers. This, for example, is Wi-Fi, Ethernet port, Bluetooth, Mode C, Mode S, Mode 3A or A, ADS-B and of further ground station broadcast TIS-B, ADS-R, and the like, understood by those skilled in the art.
In the conventional ways of target aircraft collision alertness and awareness, the pilot reads a graphical display that describe the properties of one or multiple target aircraft on a collision path. These systems may additionally use verbal indicators from/into the pilot's headset, and include information of target aircraft heading, avoidance maneuvering instructions, such as move up or down, and sounds to notify the pilot there is a target aircraft and to alert the pilot to read the visual display graphically showing the collision information of the target aircraft and target obstacle. And, wherein, the properties of the graphical display of target aircraft and target obstacle of without limitation may be vertical speed, relative position, navigation map information, and flight course.
There are however drawbacks of the said conventional ways of present for target aircraft collision alertness and awareness systems and software applications thereof. The pilot reading the visual display to identify the target aircraft and target obstacle location may be subsequently consuming and complicated to interpret during the time of collision scenario. When the pilot receives target aircraft and target obstacle verbal indicators, this information received by the pilot further can be confusing when having to locate the target aircraft or target obstacle. Thus, there is a need for the pilot to locate the target aircraft and target obstacle being simpler and more intuitive. The present invention addresses the described needs by means of generated sound signals in the pilot's headset, which particularly consist of guiding three dimensional effects and tones, to direct the pilot's head position for the pilot to locate the one or multiple target aircraft and target obstacles in an intuitive manner.
Thus, the present invention addresses and provides solutions to these and other needs in collision alertness and awareness by systems of a flight unit to determine the receiving target aircraft and target obstacle information being stored in navigational maps, as well as, the pilot's head position through the use of a head tracker sensory unit that navigates the pilot's head position, of which to generate the appropriate sound signals guiding the said pilot's head position for the pilot to locate the one or multiple target aircraft and target obstacles. The present invention further addresses the flight unit being multi-purpose. This include the capability of speech language processing, so that the pilot is able to configure the time of collision and properties of the generated sound signals using verbal commands, and data to be visually displayed on at least one mobile electronic device. Additionally, for the flight unit to capture flight information by means of navigational sensors to record the pilot's flight behavior, and moreover, to provide flight assisted feedback. The present invention yet further addresses the flight unit to communicate with at least one mobile electronic device, whereby providing graphical representation guidance methods to direct the pilot's head position for the pilot to locate one and multiple target aircraft and target object.